Bridging Global and Local: Empowering Artisanal Communities
“The exposure at MGG has been phenomenal. It expanded my world view, which has been instrumental in linking the global with the local in the research activities I engage in.”
Soumya Vinayan, India, Assistant Professor, Council for Social Development, MGG 02, 2007
Soumya's change story:
During the MGG Academy I had the chance to do an internship at UNIDO Vienna, which gave me the opportunity to look at strategies which strengthen livelihoods of artisanal communities. I continued working on this topic and have co-authored a book published by Oxford University Press on Regional Products and Rural Livelihoods with specific reference to Geographical Indications (GI) now been implemented and taken up by stakeholders. The body of work has inspired several producers and policy makers as well as researchers to focus on the positives of using GI as a marketing tool. There are now several studies and interventions that focus on GI. The ways to strengthen livelihoods of artisanal communities through use of Geographical Indications tag as a marketing tool has been the overarching objective. This area contributes to creating decent work and employment conditions.
I am also involved in organizing training workshops on SDGs for academics, researchers, civil society and government officials with a specific focus on Gender and Disability. The exposure to gender and disability and linkages with SDGs is integral to several policy making processes and research. Workshops on SDGs directly address the SDG 17 of building partnerships, especially in the areas of Disability and Gender. This was inspired by my participation in the Alumni Spring School 2019 and UN Summer Academy 2020 (as Alumni of Federal Foreign Office programme under MGG).
What makes the MGG Network successful in enabling change?
💡 Innovative methods
🧑🤝🧑 Working in cross-cultural groups
🌍 Linking the global and the local
📈 Development and capacity building as change
Why is your change story inspiring?
"The exposure at MGG has been phenomenal. It expanded my world view and has been instrumental in linking the global with local in the research activities I engage in. In particular I am focusing on strengthening artisanal communities through using Geographical Indicators as marketing tool in order to achieve decent work and employment."
Find more MGG Change Stories here!